Casing packer



June 1, 1937.

L. A. LAYNE El AL CASING PACKER Filed Dec: 5, 19554 LJA L.A.LAYNE Hi1. Lou

1NVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 1, 1937 PATENT OFFICE.

CASING PACKER Leslie a. Layne an Harold 0. Block, Houston, Ten; said Block assignor to said Iayne Application December 3, 1934, Serial No. 755,720

13 Claims.

The invention relates to an improvement in casing packers of the type which are used in well casings to form a seal around the pipe which is disposed in the casing.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a packer which will expand uniformly to form an efficient seal.

Another objectof the invention is to provide a packer which will expand uniformly to form a satisfactory seal but which may be readily withdrawn from the "casing if desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a setting sleeve having flexible fingers thereon which overlie the upper end of the packer in order to insure that there will be no telescoping of the packer over the setting sleeve. v

It is also an object of the invention to lock the packer against upward movement due to pressure from below.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a restraining means around the packer mandrel 4 upon which the packing body is in such a manner that it will collapse uniformly to expanded position beneath the guide fingers.

Still another object of the'invention is to provide a packer which will expand uniformly to form a satisfactory seal having flexible fingers thereon which overlie the upper end of the packer, said fingers being knurled so as to en-' gage the well casing when expanded and which will engage the casing tighter with pressure against the bottom of the packer but which will be released from the casing by an upward pull from above.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the packer in position to be lowered into the well, the fingers being broken away in part to show the end construction of the packer.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the packer collapsed so that it is in expanded position against the inside of the casing to form a seal.

The packer is shown in'Fig. 1 in the form in which it is assembled to be lowered into the casing and includes the supporting pipe 2, which extends beneath the packer and is used as a support for the device in order to efiect expansion of the packer. This pipe has acoupling 3 connected thereto which is in turn connected to. the

. positioned.

able materiaidependent upon the situations encountered. -The usual form, however, is to wrap layers 1 of canvas one upon the other until the desired thickness has been formed. These layers of material are then bound firmly against uniformly over the mandrel I and may have a plurality of spaced wires or confining means ll thereon in order to control the expansion of the packing as it is collapsed. These wires need not necessarily be uniformly spaced and, as seen near the upper and lower ends of the packing, they are spaced more closely together so that the packing may not expand as much adjacent the ends as it will in the central portion thereof. The particular spacing of the wires to control the amount of expansion is disclosed and claimed in the copending application of Leslie A. Layne and Louis C. Mundt, Serial No. 755,721, filed December 3, 1 935.

The layers of packing material may be applied to the mandrel in circular form but in Fig. 1 the dotted lines l2 indicate that the packing has been applied spirally to the mandrel. It is not intended, however, that the invention shall be limited to such a spiral winding.

concentrically arranged around the upper IT in the same manner as it is confined by the.

wires 9. The sleeve I5 is slotted longitudinally at l8 in order to provide a plurality of jaws or teeth 20, the teeth having been formed by indenting the bar of material which has been formed by the slots Hi. The inner face of this bar is formed with teeth 2l which cooperate with the teeth 22 on the periphery of the mandrel *4. The teeth on thebars are upwardly facing 50 that they will tend to en age the teeth 22 on the mandrel and prevent any upward movement of the sleeve l5. The-sleeve l5 extends above the mandrel and any suitable string of pipe will be connected thereto in order to set the packer. This same string of pipe may be used, however, as the tubing or other pipe which is being positioned in the well and the packer will be set by downward movement of this end of the mandrel 4 is a sleeve I 5, the lower endstring of pipe and the sleeve IS with respect to y above the packing. This ring 25 overlies the slots l8 and bars 20 and serves the purpose of enclosing them and preventing them from. becoming clogged with sand or other materials and protecting them against injury as the device is being lowered into the well.

The lower end of this ring 25 is slotted or otherwise formed with a plurality of independent fingers 26. These fingers are formed oi springlike material so that they may be extended outwardly' as the packing is expanded. The lower outer surface of these fingers may be knurled as at 27 in order to form a frictional contact with the inner surface of the casing 28 in which the packer is to be set.

In Fig. 2 the packing is shown in expanded position,-the sleeve i5 having been telescoped downwardly over the mandrel (l to causea collapsing of the packing so that it will expand radiallybetween the spaced wires it. In Hg. 2 the wires H are shown as embedded in the packing and the packing as having been folded outwardly between the spaced wires. As the packing expands beneath the fingers 26 they will be forced outwardly to engage the casing and serve to guide the expansion oi the packing and to prevent it from folding upwardly over the lower end of the sleeve 55. These fingers are of particular advantage during the collapsing of the packing to guide it in its initial expansion so that a perfect seal is obtained. The fingers 2d serve also to lock the packer in expanded position so that when the seal is obtained any pressure from beneath the packer tends to wedge the packer under the fingers to cause additional expansion of the fingers. Such expansion tends also to further lock the packer because of the friction of the fingers against the inside of the casing.

The jaws 29 click past the teeth 22 during the collapsing operation and tend to hold the sleeve 55 immovable longitudinally with respect to the mandrel i. In event, however, that it is necessary to remove the packer any considerable force exerted upwardly on the upper end of the sleeve 55 will tend to either shear the teeth 26 or to dislodge the jaws 20 from their position and permit the setting sleeve to be moved upwardly with respect to the mandrel d. During this operation of course the fingers will be drawn upwardly over the packing and insure that the packing below the ends of the fingers and which has.been in contact with the inside surface of the casing will be the first to be contracted so that it will move inwardly away from the casing and break the seal so that the packer may be readily removed.

The upward movement of the fingers upon withdrawal serves to unlock the packer so that it may be readily removed. This is of particular advantage over existing devicesembodying slips and other locking devices because the fingers are a unitary integral part of the device and may not become separated nor fall into the well bore.

The invention contemplates broadly the provision of a casing packing which may be readily expanded and guided in its expanding position by the fingers which over-lie the upper end of the packer.

What is claimed is:

1. A packer including a support mandrel, a packing thereon adapted to be collapsed, a sleeve to move relative to said mandrel to collapse said packing, and a plurality of spaced wires restraining the packing so that a uniform expansion will be had, and means carried by said sleeve and overlying a part of the packing to expand with the packing and restrain the packing from telescoping.

2. A packer including a mandrel, a setting sleeve, a packing having one end connected to said mandrel and one end to said sleeve, a ratchet connection between the sleeve and mandrel, including slotted indented teeth on .the sleeve, and a ring covering the slotted teeth.

3. A packer including a mandrel, a setting sleeve, a packing having one end'connected to said mandrel and one end to said sleeve, a ratchet connection between the sleeve and mandrel including slotted indented teeth on the sleeve, 9. ring covering the slotted teeth, and guard fingers below said ring to guide the expansion of the packing.

. 4; A packer adapted to beset in a casing inthe packing, and means operative as the packing is collapsed to guide the expansion of the packing and confine one end thereof, said packing being of a length such that it extends beyond said last named means when in a collapsed state.

5. A packer adapted to be set in a casing including a packing, means to support and collapse the packing, and means to overlie the upper end of the packing and to be expanded against the casing by the packing, said means being roughened to grip the inside of the casing.

6. A packer including a support mandrel, a packing thereon adapted to be collapsed, a sleeve to move relative to said mandrel to collapse said packing, and a plurality of spaced wires restraining the packing so that a uniform expansion will be had, and means carried by said sleeve and overlying a part of the packing to expand with the packing and restrain the packing from telescoping, and to also look the packer against upward movement due to pressure from below.

7. In a packer, a packing, a setting sleeve and fingers on the lower end of said sleeve overlying said packing to engage the casing in which the packer is set to lock the packer in the casing.

8. A packer adapted to be set in a casing including a packing, means to support and collapse the packing, and means to overlie the upper end of the packing and to be expanded against the casing by the packing to lock the packer in expanded position in the casing.

9. A packer adapted to be set in a casing including a packing, means to support and collapse the packing, and means to overlie the upper end of the packing and to be expanded against the casing'by the packing to lock the packer in expanded position in the casing, said means being adapted for withdrawal to unlock the packer by a pull from above.

10. A packer adapted to be set in a casing including a packing, means to support and collapse the packing, and means to overlie the upper end of the packing and to be expanded against the casing by the packing, said means being knurled to grip the inside of the casing and lock the packer in collapsed position. v

11. A packer adapted to be set in a casing including a packing, means to support andcollapse the packing, and means to overlie the upper end of the packing and to'be expanded against the casing by the packing to lock the packer thereto and whereby pressure from below tending to dislodge the packer tends to increase the locking action.

12. .In combination with a well packer a locking device comprising spring members normally engaging the packing material, said members becluding a packing, means to support and collapse in; expansibie by the packin: material to engage'the hole being packed whereby the locking actionis proportional to the pressure being packed.

13. In combination with a well packer a loclr- I ing device comprising metal members normally engaging the packing material. said members being expansible by the passing material to engage the hole being packed whereby the locking action is proportional to the pressure being packed, said members being integral with the packer assembly. i

. LESLIE A. LAYNE.

HAROLDC. BLOCK. 

